Last Minute Booking

[keystonemama]

I am sure the answers are on here, somewhere, but with the holidays & work, I am swamped right now so I asking for help.

We have decided to book a last minute cruise this week for NYE for our 25th anniversary. :) It will most likely be a 5 day cruise out of FL.

1. If I have to let CCL pick my room, exactly when are we assigned this cabin, ex. at the port, when we board?

2. If I get insurance, should I pay that before I book the cruise in full?

3. Can I get a hooray, woot woot or yippee? :D:p

 

P.S. I hope all yaw have a very Merry Christmas and holiday.

[arush5268d]

This really isn't a last minute booking; people can book within hours of sailing and still get on the boat.

 

1) You'll be assigned when they are ready to assign it. Sometimes weeks out and sometimes hours before boarding.

 

2) Read the fine print for the insurance policy you are looking at. If you are talking about Carnival's insurance I cant comment on that. I refuse to purchase theirs as the coverage levels are not so great and it is around double to three times as much as what you can purchase on your own

[Colorado Kat]

Congratulations! Have a wonderful cruise.

 

We were assigned our cabin once when we got to the port. The luggage porters have a list of passengers and cabins.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I am sure the answers are on here, somewhere, but with the holidays & work, I am swamped right now so I asking for help.

We have decided to book a last minute cruise this week for NYE for our 25th anniversary. :) It will most likely be a 5 day cruise out of FL.

1. If I have to let CCL pick my room, exactly when are we assigned this cabin, ex. at the port, when we board?

2. If I get insurance, should I pay that before I book the cruise in full?

3. Can I get a hooray, woot woot or yippee? :D:p

 

P.S. I hope all yaw have a very Merry Christmas and holiday.

 

You can buy the insurance right after you book. When you book you'll have to pay in full if you are going NYE.

 

Happy Holidays and Happy Anniversary. :)

 

Bill

[crusinpsychRN]

WHOOPIE! Have a great cruise!

 

If you do the guarantee it could be assigned at any time, no telling. Buy insurance as soon as you can after booking.

[Carnival_Brides]

Hooray for holiday cruises! My wife and I tend to book a few weeks out and they are definitely last minute with all the details we have to work out.

 

Assignments can happen at any point. We booked our honeymoon three weeks out and were assigned our cabin about ten days before the cruise. They can be anywhere on the ship within your category. We were expecting a 7A obstructed view balcony and got an aft-extended view.

 

I'm not sure about the insurance--we don't purchase it. If it's something you want, you should definitely shop around and make sure that you're covered--possibly before you book. You can always call CCL and they will put a 24-48 hour hold for you--this will guarantee your price and a cabin.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Hooray for holiday cruises! My wife and I tend to book a few weeks out and they are definitely last minute with all the details we have to work out.

 

Assignments can happen at any point. We booked our honeymoon three weeks out and were assigned our cabin about ten days before the cruise. They can be anywhere on the ship within your category. We were expecting a 7A obstructed view balcony and got an aft-extended view.

 

I'm not sure about the insurance--we don't purchase it. If it's something you want, you should definitely shop around and make sure that you're covered--possibly before you book. You can always call CCL and they will put a 24-48 hour hold for you--this will guarantee your price and a cabin.

 

Is there a specific reason you recommend buying insurance before booking the cruise?

 

Bill

[lisajm]

Woot Woot enjoy your cruise!

[k2excursion]

I don't see any reason to purchase insurance before booking. Many insurance companies have added benefits if you purchase it within a certain time frame of making your initial payment. In your case, your initial payment will be full payment. I use insuremytrip dot com to shop around different companies. Most of them will come out a ton cheaper than Carnival's, and you will get much better coverage.

 

Happy anniversary, & have a great cruise!!!

[keystonemama]

Thanks everyone, I wasn't sure if I could get insurance this late, we usually book 6 months ahead or more online. I am going to call in a couple of days and see what's offered, nothing fancy since these cruises are wayyyy more expensive the week of NYE.

I guess I am a little nervous about not knowing the cabin, I am the kind with all my ducks in a row when it comes to planning, but I have had such a hectic year and my company decided to be closed the week of Christmas so I get 12 days off, so we decided to cut back on the Christmas presents for us and book a cruise, woot woot! My bags are always pre-packed and my dancing shoes are itching. Wishing some of my friends we met on cruises could join us, but it's too quick and so we are planning on meeting up in the summer, maybe the Keys! Well maybe we will meet more on this one! Did I say how I love cruising!

 

I MISS THE OCEAN AND I NEED A VACATION! LOL. Oh and Free champagne!

 

Will update soon.....

[Carnival_Brides]

Is there a specific reason you recommend buying insurance before booking the cruise?

 

Bill

 

I wasn't trying to say buy insurance before the cruise--

What I was trying to convey was if insurance is important to the OP to look around and make sure they can get the coverage they want before they book the cruise.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I wasn't trying to say buy insurance before the cruise--

What I was trying to convey was if insurance is important to the OP to look around and make sure they can get the coverage they want before they book the cruise.

 

OK thank you for the explanation. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

Bill

[lukeduke07]

This isn't last minute. I booked a cruise on a wednesday night and drive to the port the next morning at 10 am.

[keystonemama]

So this morning at work I check the CCL website to see if the inside cabin on the Ecstasy is still available for under $1000 (I needed the M-F booking) and it was, but before I could call and book I had a few things at work to take care of so it was about 30 min. later when I logged back in so I could call and book. When I logged on this time, there were no rooms available showing except balcony and inside would only except 3 or more passengers! Noooooo! I started to panic slightly. Is this really true? No beds for 2 in an inside room or are they just trying to book the more expensive ones? No matter, Rafael came to my rescue, customer service at it's finest. :)

 

Well I get Rafael on the phone and he tells me the same thing, balconies only. He starts looking at all the ships for the price range I need, but none are M-F. I expressed to him, how I know this is last minute, but we are trying to celebrate our 25th anniversary, how we love CCL, we can even sleep in an upper/lower, lol, please, is there anything you can do?

 

He made me stay on the phone for about 20 minutes, continually checking until he screamed "Hold on, one must have just been let go on a hold, he started asking the normal questions, in a hurry, and then proudly announced "We got it, and Mrs._______ I booked you a king bed, lol, no separate beds for you and your husband!" :p He did a wonderful job, I kept having to answer phones and interrupting him, but he just kept saying, "Don't worry, no problem", we are going to find you something, do what you have to do."

 

I checked tonight and my cabin has been assigned already and now I am just waiting for my OBC from a previous cruise I had to cancel, to be applied.

 

I am so excited to get back on the ocean and just have some fun!

Edited December 20, 2013 by keystonemama